SANTA FE – New Mexico health officials on Tuesday reported an additional 227 coronavirus cases, with just over half of those among inmates at a detention center in southern New Mexico.
The figures released Tuesday include 116 new cases among inmates in the custody of the New Mexico Corrections Department who are being housed at a lockup in Otero County. That comes after officials announced a day earlier that a male inmate in his 30s there had died after being infected.
The inmate had pre-existing conditions. His death marked the first COVID-19 inmate fatality for the facility.
State officials also reported that 92 detainees at a federal processing center in Otero County also have tested positive, along with 66 inmates in federal custody at the facility. There are also confirmed cases among federal inmates at correction centers in Torrance and Cibola counties.
One case each has been reported at the state penitentiary near Santa Fe and the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County.
Five additional deaths were reported statewide Tuesday, bringing the total to 367.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
